This application claims priority to GB Application No. 9918927.6 filed Aug. 12, 1999.
The invention to which this application relates is to the processing of digital data which is transmitted by broadcasters of television programs for receipt by users of a broadcast data receiver which includes a means for decoding the transmitted data, which is typically transmitted in an encoded format, and then processing the decoded data to generate video and/or audio displays on a television set or other form of display screen.
Increasingly, television programs are broadcast using digital data transmission systems and these typically comprise, at the transmission stage, the encoding of streams of data relating to a plurality of television programs and the transmission of the encoded streams of digital data to be received by a plurality of receivers at various premises, via satellite, cable or terrestrial transmission systems. When the streams of digital data are received, they can be decoded by the receiver and then processed. In response to user selections, particular television programs generated from the processed data can be displayed on a television screen or other form of display screen. The user can then select between programs, choose to store program details and so on and may also receive information regarding the various programs which are available to watch at any instant at the present and in the future.
Although it is possible for the receiver to receive a number of different streams of data relating to different television programs, the user can select to view one particular television program at a particular time to be displayed on the display screen with the rest of the program ata effectively disregarded.
The aim of the present invention is to allow a user of this form of system to be able to receive an indication of a particular occurrence in a television program for which data is received at the receiver and, also, preferably to allow the particular event to be stored and/or displayed to the user.
In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a television system including a broadcast data receiver for receiving audio and/or video digital data from a broadcaster relating to a plurality of television programs and display means for displaying a user-selected television program from the plurality of available television programs and chracterized in that in addition to a means for selecting a television program for display, the system includes the means for the user selection of the same or a further television program to be monitored with respect to designated criteria and, if said designated criteria are met, any of the generation of a visual or audio alert, the recording of the television program or display of the selected television program is activated.